The last piece of the puzzle has now been found. The KPRA & Original KWJJ-FM Site. With KGW-FM & KEX-FM recently found at different locations from earlier deductions, my thought is, this would be a good time to review. Note: All sites started FM broadcasting in the mid to late 1940's.

> Huh? I'm surprised this is even allowed! Why bother > with satellites if you can do it with towers?

Allegedly, the terrestrial transmitters are to boost the signals in some major metros where there are more obstructions to potentially block out the satellites. However, rumors have been flying about the possibility of local news/weather/traffic being broadcast from the terrestrials since the day they were first proposed. XM and Sirius deny any intentions for adding local content, and it's currently illegal. Even so, the two satellite companies are likely hoping for future deregulation.

Author: Skeptical
Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 4:40 pm

"likely hoping for future deregulation"

I wonder how much XM and Sirius has given to the Bush campaign? Perhaps michael powell might not want to be embarassed again by Congress and choose to pass on any future deregulations.

Author: Randy_in_eugene
Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 10:46 pm

Approximately one-third of XM is owned by Clear Channel, a big Bush supporter.

Author: Craigadams
Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 6:55 am

Kent: Thanks for the info. The S.E. Ridgeway Drive address number is at home. If someone wants it , I'll post it. The address of the OPB Healy Heights site is listed above as 4545 S.W. Council Crest Drive, where FM broadcasting began in the Great Northwest.

Author: Kent_randles
Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 2:24 pm

Radioexpert:

98.5 and 106.7 were always at separate sites on Mt. Scott until the main sites moved to Sylvan (and KUPL moved to 98.7).

98.5 on the center tower at the 1330 site, and 106.7 around the corner.

KUPL still uses the 7-bay antenna as a backup site on 98.7. KLTH can also use their old site and it's 6-bay antenna as a backup.

KNRK's backup site is on the PGE tower on Mt. Scott, and they had a backup site at the 106.7 backup site, but that transmitter is now on the air at Stonehenge.

The XM terrestrial transmitters that I have personally seen are at Sylvan and Stonehenge. There is one on the KOIN Building downtown, too. There are many more around town.

Author: Skypilot
Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 4:07 pm

Is that why I can pick up XM inside the Vista Ridge Tunnel?

Author: Craigadams
Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 10:55 pm

There is also a third site on Mount Scott with CH.16 K16CB on it. 9790 S.E. Eastview Drive.

10941 S.E. Ridgeway Drive also has CH.38 KKEI-CA & CH.58 K58CO.

Author: E_dawg
Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 2:19 am

Speaking of K16CB CH. 16. I notice that channel is off the air. Has KPDX discontinue the use of CH. 16 for good? Or fixing their transmitter?

Author: Radioxpert
Monday, August 04, 2003 - 12:40 am

Kent, Thanks for the info on the Mt. Scott towers.

When KUPL and KKJZ moved Sylvan, their coverage of Salem and the southern valley were noticably better.

Author: Richjohnson
Monday, August 04, 2003 - 9:48 am

Concerning the XM repeaters: When I got my XM last summer, I could tell when the Portland repeater was working. I would drive down my apartment driveway at Uptown Heights (that super-steep driveway off Burnside) and either get the signal when the repeater worked.. or get silence if it was broken. Driving up Burnside, it would be hit-and-miss until the cemetary if the repeater was off.

Now living in Seattle, I know that the repeaters here make it possible to hear XM all through the downtown canyons and even under the Alaska Way Viaduct.

Based on that anecdotal experience, I don't think traffic and weather would work on XM. You'd be driving along listening to a report, and then it would disappear in mid-report as your receiver switches from the repeater to the bird. Likewise, you'd be in the middle of some newsy feature that would be suddenly interrupted by an in-progress traffic/wx report.

The repeaters do a great job of filling in the canyons, but they don't have a very long 'reach.' The bird quickly takes over.

Author: Kent_randles
Monday, August 04, 2003 - 11:39 am

Radioxpert: KUPL & KKJZ's height above average terrain went up several hundred feet when they moved from Mt. Scott to Sylvan.

As for XM, the KOIN Building looks right down the Vista Ridge Tunnel. The repeater on Sylvan has an effective radiated power of about 30,000 watts, but seems to be pointed east

Author: Radioxpert
Tuesday, August 05, 2003 - 1:16 am

A couple hundred more feet above average terrain does it every time.

It's interesting to note; 94.7, 98.5 and 106.7 had better line of site to Florence, when they were on Mt. Scott. I remember hearing them there, more clearly than the "West Hills" stations. In any case, I was very glad when they moved to Sylvan, providing a better signal into Eugene.

Author: Skeptical
Tuesday, August 05, 2003 - 10:13 pm

94.7 is heard in Eugene? The best I've ever done was to get 94.7 in Albany (barely).

Author: Radioxpert
Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 12:22 am

94.7 KNRK is heard in west hills of Eugene and around the Cottage Grove area. Unfortunately, 94.5 KMGE completely blocks out 94.7, throughout most of Eugene.

Author: Skeptical
Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 12:58 am

where is the KMGE tower?

Author: Radioxpert
Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 2:24 am

KMGE's tower (shared with KKNU, KUJZ, KZEL) is on Blanton Heights.

Author: Tvguy
Monday, August 18, 2003 - 7:57 am

XM radio has 16 terestrial sites in the Portland Metro area. The one on Sylvan Hill has a TPO of about 1700 watts. The system on the KOIN center is not XM but Sirrius Radio. There are two antennas, one to the Northwest and one to the Southwest, running about 350 watts TPO.

Author: Kent_randles
Monday, August 18, 2003 - 9:46 pm

Thanks TVGuy!

For the non-engineer types, TPO stands for Total Power Output (of the transmitter itself).

For the ERP (Effective Radiated Power), subtract the loss of the transmission line, and add the gain of the antenna.

Author: Jay_bozich
Monday, January 05, 2004 - 9:32 pm

Hello all, After looking at the actual addresses of the sites you all may find interest in seeing the arial views of said sites.

enter the address then you get a property map. If you click on "explorer" in the upper right you go to another page. Then you get another map with a popup under it.

Click that and go to the top for "ariel photos"

Enjoy. Jay B

Author: Dan_packard
Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 7:10 am

Hey, thanks for the link to this Jay. Also the site is incredibly rich in tax, crime and other statistics for any Portland neighborhood location.

Author: Jay_bozich
Friday, January 09, 2004 - 12:32 am

I know it is interesting just to look at random addresses and see what pops up, or to see if you can see your car parked in a driveway you lived at or something.

There is also crimemapper.com that has some more portland crime related stuff.

Author: Gtrkid
Monday, March 28, 2005 - 9:40 pm

I was 11 in 1979. My girlfriend's dad was an engineer at the KOAP transmitter. He sat at the control desk and shut them down at night after sign off. I had the thrill of a lifetime - 2 or 3 times - going up there with his family to pick him up and bring him home after work (he was almost completely blind). Having been into electronics and radio for many years prior, I was in heaven just having this opportunity. I was able to go into the radio studio there, and peer into a supply room full of TV and radio broadcasting equipment. He even let me shut down the transmitters after sign off a couple times. I remember taking KOAP FM off the air was a simple push of the red PLATE button.. but the TV panel seemed a bit more complicated! The other day I was driving around up on Council Crest and noticed a drop box in front of the building. Then I did some research here and saw that the OPB transmitters have been gone for quite a few years and currently empty. Seems sad... a piece of radio history is no more. And thanks for taking the time to compile the history! Very interesting even if I hadn't had my own personal experience with that building at 4545 SW Council Crest.

Wish I could read what you linked but my computer says there's no update they offer for the setup you're using.

Author: Zanderdog
Monday, January 21, 2008 - 7:32 pm

"Wish I could read what you linked but my computer says there's no update they offer for the setup you're using."

Craig- right click on the link and "save target as..." this will down load the PDF file. This should work.

Author: Craig_adams
Monday, January 21, 2008 - 9:21 pm

Got it! It's GREAT! I've made copies. Many Thanks!

A lot of Portland DJ's worked in that building. When I was their "Transmitter C Control Room" was later the K-Pam 97 News Room, then Kisn 91 main studio was installed in 1987. "Studio B" was later the main studio for KPFM, KPAM, KCNR, K-Lite which became Kisn-FM in 1988.

"Studio A" is where all the orchestras played in the 40's & 50's. Later this room would become owner Wally Rossman's office in the 60's & 70's with his desk on the upper left side. I took broadcasting classes there in 72 & 73 which were also held in "Studio A". At the time KPAM-FM had a big davenport running up against studios B & C wall where we'd all sit.

The "Clients Room" is where sponsors could view performances in "Studio A". The "Clients Room" was later a Kisn-FM Production room. The "News Room" in the basement was where Pat Pattee did his weekend shows on KLSC, this would later be the main Kisn-FM Production room. The KLSC audiomation was in the "Continuity & Program offices" area. The 1410 & 97.1 transmitters were then in the basements' "Employees Lounge".

The entire building was gutted out in 1989 to become the transmitter building for the Stonehenge Tower stations.